Western appeal., 1887-11-12
WAS 1T DYNAMlTE7

Chief-Justice Waite Receives g Nfyste.
rious Box-The Contrivance Resembles
nm Internal Machine, and the Supposi-
tion Is That an Attempt Has Been Made
on His Life-A Broken Wire Renders It
HarmIess-The Affair May Have Been
Cnncocted Simply for the Purpose OF
Creating a Sensation.
WASHINGTON, Nov. An attempt waa
made last night to either kill or MAIN
Chief Justice Waite of the United States
Supreme Court or to perpetrate ysilly hoax
About $50 a small paste BOARD box
was sent to his house through the
special-delivery postal service 1t was
about ten by six inches and looked some
thing like valentine box. 1t was addressed
in small, cramped and apparently dis
gu1sed back-hand to Hon Chief Justice
Waite, No. 1415 street N. W., Washington,
u. O." Near the bottom were the words
Important papers," underscored
Ihe thing inclosed was a glass tube about
ten inches long and of the diameter of
Lead pencil The tube was bent at an angle
OF about sixty degrees and was fastened to
the box by means of small pieces of heavy
paper pasted over it The tube for most Of
Its length contained jet-black LIQUID, but
about one and half inches from the
end was percussion cap separating
the fluid from little more than an inch of
coarse powder, apparently what is known
as Atlas powder. At the other end of the
powder was another percussion cap, and to
this was attached the wire, which was ap-
parently intended to explode the tube
This wire was Joined to q small rubber
band fastened to one side of the box,
and another wire ran from the rubber
to hook and eye," which was held in
place by piece of paper pasted over it. II
the machine is really what it seems to be
the raising of the lid would have exploded
IT, Before it reached the Chief JUSTICES
mouse, however, the box was stamped on
one side by post office employe. and the
force of the blow caused the wire to slip
through the "hook and eye," thus severing
the necessary connection.
There are circumstances which lead to a
suspicion that the whole thing is hoax
The person through whom the matter was
brought to the attention Of the police is
young man who sells items to newspaper
correspondents, and who is not by many
regarded as trustworthy. His name is with
held at the request of the police, to whom
he told substantially the following story:
About o'clock he went to the post-office
to post letter and going to one of the
desks to address it he noticed a man put
ting the address of Chief-Justice Waite
on box He says he thought nothing Of
it at the time, and therefore did
not observe the man closely enough
to be able to identify him. When
on the street, however, the thought
came to him that there was something sus-
picious about it, inasmuch as the Chief JUS
tice had on Wednesday delivered the opin-
ion denying writ of error to the con-
demned Chicago Anarchists He thereupon
went to the home of the Chief Justice and
inquired of him if he had received box
The Chief Justice said he had not, and the
young man then went to the post-office
and ascertained that the box had been de-
ivered a6 $50 o'clock. He next offered to
sell two newspaper correspondents story
about it. The correspondents desired to
make further Investigation, and went to
the police station and told the story to De-
tective Sergeant Hollanberger, who imme-
diately called on the Chief Justice, who
then acknowledged receiving the box, and
gave it to the sergeant
The Chief Justice said he had received the
box while at dinner and had opened it, but
without being harmed, the wire which was
to have exploded it having been detached,
as already stated Mr.. Waite did not attach
any importance to the box, and said he
thought it a sensational hoax. The sergeant
took the box to police headquarters, where
it is now held as evidence Sergeant Hol-
lanberger said he had no clew to the sender
of the box